BEIJING, June 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CGTN has published an article exploring the values embodied by the July 1 Medal. Through the stories of this year's recommended nominees, the article highlights how generations of the Communist Party of China (CPC) members have remained rooted among the people, dedicated themselves to public service, and carried forward the Party's founding spirit.
When residents in Chongqing's Guanyinqiao Subdistrict face a neighborhood dispute, many offer the same answer when asked whom to turn to: "Go to Lao Ma.""Lao Ma" is Ma Shanxiang, a 69-year-old Communist Party of China (CPC) member, who has spent more than three decades mediating conflicts in the community. His work has filled more than 280 notebooks, totaling over nine million Chinese characters, documenting thousands of stories of patience, understanding and reconciliation. Over the years, he has received more than 20,000 visits from residents and successfully mediated more than 2,500 disputes.Ma is among the recommended nominees for the July 1 Medal, the CPC's highest honor, ahead of a gathering marking the Party's 105th founding anniversary on Wednesday (July 1). At the event, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, will confer the medal on model Party members and deliver an important speech.One detail of the medal reflects the values it represents. Unlike China's national medals, which are worn on metal chains, the July 1 Medal features a woven fabric ribbon – a design personally proposed by President Xi. Modest rather than ornate, it symbolizes that the Party's highest honor belongs to those who come from the people, remain rooted among the people and devote themselves to serving them.
